Report finds strong yields driving increase in russet table supplies

As the 2025 potato harvest nears completion across the U.S., strong yields are driving an increase in russet table supplies, with size and quality outpacing the previous year.

A report compiled by North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission found that harvest conditions have been mostly favorable, though high temperatures have slowed progress in some areas. Many growers have finished digging, while others will wrap up this week.

Growers in several states are looking for extra storage space because of strong yields and slow early-season movement, according to the report.

The Idaho Russet Grower Returns Index dropped to $2.74 per cwt. in early October, about one-third of the field-run breakeven price, according NAPMN cost of production estimates. Table potato shippers across the country are struggling to compete with those prices.

U.S. packers shipped 1.546 million cwt. of table potatoes during the week ending Oct. 11, down from 1.644 million cwt. shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 23,800 cwt. during that period, down from 41,967 during the same week in 2024. Michigan shipments were 90.5% russets and 9.5% yellow potatoes, according to the report.